Now that Election Day is finally here [and by the way, is it just me or has this been the longest presidential campaign in history?] fear is running at an all-time high. Who will win? What will it mean to the economy? To me? etc. etc. etc. Isn’t it fascinating how we are the wealthiest, healthiest, freest nation in the world [ever] yet all we do is whine and fret.

FYI. When Franklin Delano Roosevelt took the oath of office and became the 32nd president of the United States, fear gripped our nation. It was the lowest point of the Great Depression. People were out of jobs, homelessness was rampant, banks closed, most Americans were struggling. In FDR’s first speech as president, he addressed what I might suggest was a key issue – one which seems to have returned – unreasoning FEAR.

This is what he said,

“This is preeminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly. Nor need we shrink from honestly facing conditions in our country today. This great nation will endure as it has endured, we will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself – nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”

As in the time of the Great Depression, there are a lot of things around today that can hurt the US. But what FDR understood was that irrational fear could destroy us. Where is FDR when we need him?

re: the random-ness

Ok...so you've located the place where I put down my random thoughts. The key word here is random: music, sports, art, food, books, news, spiritual musings, weird stories, etc. I'm especially interested in how everyday experiences of life intersect with the ancient stories of Scripture. Thanks for reading.